leapin’ lemurs.

the 1.3-acre feature opens to the public today – july 5 – and is the calgary zoo’s first new major habitat in five years, and Canada’s first immersive lemur experience.

this new habitat is home to 13 lemurs comprised of three species – black-and-white ruffed, ring-tailed and red fronted; some of the world’s most endangered primates.

the group at the calgary zoo is predominantly female, with all seven ring-tailed lemurs being ladies. talk about girl power! at first, this was a concern to the zoo staff, as lemurs are a female-run species. though there hasn’t been a huge fight for power, there is definitely a dominate one. we’ll just nickname her Queen Lee.

when the calgary zoo says immersive, they really mean it – just look at Ryan snapping the perfect pic. this wasn’t special blogger access, every visitor enters the lemurs’ world in a barrier-free setting that brings you up close to the animals.

but don’t forget your canadian politeness when you get it there. zookeepers ask that you stay at least a hula-hoop’s distance away from the lemurs. though, this doesn’t mean the curious creatures won’t come up to you; this group is known for hugging legs and licking toes. and leave the food and drinks out of the inclosure because the lemurs will definitely try to take a nibble, and their sensitive diet doesn’t include cotton candy.

being a cute spectator draw aside, land of lemurs is another act of conservation by the calgary zoo. they are focusing these efforts in Madagascar on habitat restoration, lemur population monitoring, creating sustainable employment opportunities, and improving the overall quality of life.

this is a desperate need as the number of critically endangered lemur species has more than doubled (from 11 to 24) and endangered lemur species rose from 16 to 49. sadly, of the 103 lemur species known to exist, about 94% are at risk of extinction. their status likely makes them the most endangered group of mammals on earth. experts believe that if things don’t change, many lemurs could be extinct in the wild by 2050. that is something we definitely do not want happening!

*giveaway*

want to go visit land of lemurs? of course you do! the calgary zoo is giving one s&s reader a family pack of tickets (two adult and two children’s admissions). enter my giveaway below – a winner will be selected at random on tuesday, july 11.

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I am seriously excited about this exhibit, I squealed in delight when I saw it was coming earlier this year! Liam is a big lemur fan too, you should hear his lemur impression after watching Planet Earth II. I don’t think I could possibly pick a favourite speciest.